Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Monday 13 September 1999

Scottish Executive

Education

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to maximise the take-up of free school meals.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Maximising the take up of free school meals by entitled children is for each local authority to pursue in the light of local needs and circumstances.

  There may be a variety of reasons why entitled children do not take up the free meal offered. Each local authority or the schools themselves are best placed to investigate and rectify problems within their area.

Education

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure minimum nutritional standards for school meals.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Each education authority is responsible for the nutritional standards in the school meal service which they administer.

  The Scottish Diet Action Plan Eating for Health made a large number of recommendations and included nutritional guidelines for catering specifications for the public sector, targeted primarily at pre-school and school age children.

  The Scottish Executive has initiated discussions with Directors of Education and progress in this area is being monitored through inspections by HM Inspectors of Schools. We will be considering the need for any further action in the light of inspection reports.

Education

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop nutritional education in schools.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Responsibility for the delivery and management of the curriculum rests with education authorities and school managers. Advice is provided by the Scottish Executive which seeks to ensure that health education, including nutritional education, has a secure place within the curriculum and is included in all schools.

  HMI monitor school and pre-school provision and their published reports cover health education as well as various aspects of health promotion within the school. The report Drug and Nutrition Education A Study of Provision in Schools and Community Education published in January 1999 identifies good practice and areas where action is needed.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive the current average value of individual local authority bursaries or financial assistance grants covering study expenses for school pupils of age 16 and over by local authority, and to detail the total amount budgeted for by each Scottish local authority for this purpose.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Information on the average value of individual local authority bursaries or on the total amount budgeted for by each local authority is not collected centrally. The total amount spent by authorities in 1997-98 was £6.9M.

Finance

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the latest information as to the total Scottish Block Grant for 2000-01, and what are the estimates for future years.

Mr Jack McConnell: As published in the Departmental Report Serving Scotland’s Needs , Cm 4215, the Total Budget for Scotland for 2000-01 is £16,691 million. For 2001-02 the Total Budget is £17,428 million. No Budget has been set for 2002-03 or subsequent years.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from the Scottish Salmon Growers Association Ltd in relation to measures it has been asked to take to address the state of the salmon farming industry in Scotland.

Mr John Home Robertson: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with representatives of the Scottish salmon farming industry and the Minister for Rural Affairs and I met a delegation on 11 June 1999. Of late the main topic covered has been Infectious Salmon Anaemia, with particular reference to the policy of eradicating that disease, and the cost of that policy.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will cover financially salmon farmers’ stock for a 2 year rolling period (with annual review) until such time as the current outbreak of Infections Salmon Anaemia (ISA) is over and whether it will ask commercial insurers whether they will be willing to offer policies which cover ISA.

Mr John Home Robertson: What the Member suggests is essentially an insurance scheme, similar to that proposed by the fish farming industry, to be run by The Scottish Executive. We have considered this matter very carefully, and we have had discussions with representatives of the insurance industry. We have concluded that such a scheme would not be an appropriate call on public funds. Instead, as announced on 6 September, we shall be making available through Highlands and Islands Enterprise £3 million per annum for three years to assist those operators directly affected by the disease.

Health

Paul Martin (Glasgow Springburn) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the remuneration payments made to members of the Greater Glasgow Health Board in the current financial year and in each of the past five financial years.

Susan Deacon: Information relating to remuneration for Executive Members (i.e. Board Members who are employees of the health body) is published in Health Boards' Annual Reports; information for the current financial year for Executive Directors on Greater Glasgow Health Board will appear in the 1999-2000 Annual Report from the Board.

  The Chairman of Greater Glasgow Health Board receives remuneration of £25,140 per annum; non-executive members (up to seven on this Health Board) receive £5,000 per annum. This level of remuneration has not increased in the past five years.

Health

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to provide an estimate of the amount of government resources saved through the unpaid efforts of carers of people with dementia.

Iain Gray: We greatly value the contribution that informal carers make to the care of vulnerable people, including those with dementia. Without their contribution, many people would need support - or more support - from the statutory services. It is not, however, possible to estimate the cost of this.

  Informal carers need services and support themselves. the Scottish Executive is considering how we should take forward a carers’ strategy in Scotland, in consultation with carers’ organisations.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to the question S1W-73 by Susan Deacon on 19 July 1999, what specific measures have been taken by Health Boards and NHS Trusts to address bed-blocking in the light of the anticipated increase in admissions over the Millennium period.

Susan Deacon: All Health Boards and NHS Trusts continue to work with their local authority partners in addressing all avenues, including financial, to reduce or remove delays in discharge from NHS Care. This is an ongoing in-year process and features as an integral part of each Health Board’s Health Improvement Programme. This ongoing task takes account of planning for any additional pressures which may arise over the millennium period.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake to give Sheriffs discretion to refuse or delay repossession decrees in the light of family circumstances in its first housing legislation.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Courts already have discretion to supersede (that is, postpone) extract of decrees to repossess property if either or both parties to an action request that this be done and in considering this option, and where asked to, we would expect the Courts to take into account all the circumstances, including those of any family involved. However, I have made it clear that we are also willing to consider the case for further legislation to protect those facing repossession in Scotland should that prove necessary.

Housing

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for developing housing policy in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I refer to my answer to Scott Barrie on 2 September (SIW-1304). Over the forthcoming months we will continue to work with interested parties in developing proposals for legislation and non-legislative changes leading up to the opportunity for full pre-legislative scrutiny of the kind which I hope the Parliament will become known for.

Information

Gordon Jackson (Glasgow Govan) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice has been given to civil servants regarding contacts with MSPs and the handling of requests for information from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Donald Dewar: The Permanent Secretary has today issued guidance to staff in the Scottish Executive and its agencies about how to handle contacts with MSPs and requests for information from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The guidance notes are consistent with the Civil Service Code and the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information. Copies of the guidance notes have been placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Document Supply Centre.

Local Government

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that East Ayrshire Council has successfully implemented the new financial management system for its DLO-related activities as recommended by the Audit Commission.

Mr Frank McAveety: East Ayrshire’s external auditor has been monitoring the actions the Council has taken to improve its financial management systems and will comment on any issues as part of the audit of the Council’s 1998-99 accounts. Any outstanding issues will be dealt with by the Controller of Audit’s follow up statutory report.

Local Government

Mr Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to review the current methodology of the Boundaries Commission, given the local concern in part of the Highland Council’s area arising from the Commission’s most recent review of electoral boundaries.

Mr Frank McAveety: Having recently received the report of the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament, we have announced the establishment of a Renewing Local Democracy Working Party. This will consider, amongst other things, what form of electoral system would be most appropriate for local government elections in Scotland. Since that has a fundamental bearing on the work of the Commission, we will await the report of that group before considering any changes to the legislation governing the Boundary Commission.

Rural Affairs

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the estimate of the number of tonnes of rendered material from 30 month old cattle currently being stored in Scotland and how many cattle this represents.

Ross Finnie: 22,300 tonnes of rendered material is held at the store in Ratho, while the Glenrothes facility holds 49,800 tonnes.

  The Intervention Board Executive Agency, whose Board answers to all the UK Agriculture Ministers, is responsible for procuring the storage facilities and estimates that in total this would equate to approximately 577,000 head of cattle.

Rural Affairs

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the preferred method of controlling Scotland’s fox population.

Ross Finnie: As the fox is not a protected species it may be killed or taken by an authorised person by any method which is not prohibited by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Secretary of State for Scotland and Scotland Office

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an official residence is to be acquired for the Secretary of State for Scotland and, if so, to specify the expected total cost to the Scottish Consolidated Fund of acquiring such a residence.

Donald Dewar: The provision or otherwise of an official residence for the Secretary of State for Scotland is a matter for the United Kingdom Government. Any expenditure incurred by the Secretary of State, for whatever purpose, comes from the United Kingdom Consolidated Fund. This is in accordance with the terms of the Statement of Funding Policy, published by HM Treasury on 31 March 1999, whereby such expenditure has to be found from within the overall provision voted by the United Kingdom Parliament to the Secretary of State. This provision is intended to cover expenditure relating to the Secretary of State’s own Department and expenditure on grants that he may pay into the Scottish Consolidated Fund.

Secretary of State for Scotland and Scotland Office

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the proportion of the Scottish Consolidated Fund that has been allocated to the Secretary of State for Scotland to perform his duties.

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the cost of renting office accommodation for the Scotland Office is being met from its block grant.

Donald Dewar: I refer the Members to the answer I gave to Lord James Douglas-Hamilton’s question S1W-745.

Secretary of State for Scotland and Scotland Office

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the total estimated cost, if any, to its block grant of the Secretary of State’s planned official residence and offices in Scotland.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the estimated cost, if any, to its block grant of (a) extra civil servants being employed by the Secretary of State for Scotland and (b) providing office accommodation for those civil servants.

Donald Dewar: I refer the Member to the answer I gave to his question S1W-745.

Secretary of State for Scotland and Scotland Office

James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any implications for its block grant arising from the cost of the 26 rooms of accommodation being acquired for the Secretary of State for Scotland and, if so, what consultations it has had with Her Majesty’s Government on the use of the rooms and in particular on the use of rooms not to be occupied by Scotland Office staff.

Donald Dewar: Under the terms of the Statement of Funding Policy published by HM Treasury on 31 March 1999, the Secretary of State for Scotland is voted provision by the UK Government in respect of the expenses of his Department, including any grants which he makes to the Scottish Consolidated Fund. The determination of his Department’s expenditure and of the level of grants which he makes to the Scottish Consolidated Fund is a matter for the Secretary of State and for the UK Government.

  I understand that any premises to be acquired will be largely allocated to office accommodation for civil servants in The Scotland Office.

Secretary of State for Scotland and Scotland Office

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the costs incurred as a result of the change of name from "The Scottish Office" to the "Scotland Office" will be met from its block grant and, if so, to provide a breakdown of these costs.

Donald Dewar: I refer the Member to the answer I gave to Lord James Douglas-Hamilton’s question S1W-745.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to provide an estimate of the cost of the M8 road charging trial and, if so, whether this will include details of the amount to be spent on (a) labour, (b) consultancy fees and (c) materials/equipment.

Sarah Boyack: The contract for implementing the UK electronic road user charging demonstration project will be the subject of a competitive tendering exercise to be initiated shortly. Subject to the standard rules on commercially confidential information, I would expect, in due course, to be able to provide some information on the cost associated with the winning tender.

Transport

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make available any reports it holds relating to other countries’ experiences with road pricing.

Sarah Boyack: Reports on developments in and experiences with road pricing in other countries have appeared from time to time in, for example, academic and professional journals. The Scottish Executive does not hold any such reports which are not already in the public domain.

Transport

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of plans for A71 by-passes in the Irvine valley.

Sarah Boyack: Any development of plans for bypasses on the A71, which is a local road, is a matter for the local authorities concerned.